palp

American  

[palp] / pælp /

noun

1. a palpus.

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palp British  

/ pælp /

noun

1. either of a pair of sensory appendages that arise from the mouthparts of crustaceans and insects

2. either of a pair of tactile organs arising from the head or anterior end of certain annelids and molluscs

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palp Scientific  

/ pălp /

1. A segmented organ extending from the mouthparts of arthropods, used for touch or taste.

2. Also called palpus

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Other Word Forms

• palpal
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of palp

C19: from French, from Latin palpus a touching

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

palp

The male palp alone can grow to around 5 cm, nearly four times longer than the front section of the body and almost as long as the spider's longest legs.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 6, 2026

I had 103.7° fever, a blood pressure that was 80 over palp, and oxygen levels that were so low I required oxygen support at a level just below that achieved with mechanical ventilation.

From Salon ● Apr. 5, 2020

In many blood-sucking flies, for example, the galea is absent, while the lacinia becomes a strong knife-like piercer and the palp is well developed.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 4 "Hero" to "Hindu Chronology" by Various

It is flanked right and left by two other parts, likewise fleshy, adhering closely to the lip and bearing at the tip a rudimentary palp consisting of two or three very tiny joints.

From The Glow-Worm and Other Beetles by Alexander Teixeira de Mattos

In a few Ostracoda, by a rare exception, the masticatory process is reduced or suppressed, and the palp alone remains, forming a pediform appendage used in locomotion as well as in the prehension of food.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 7 "Crocoite" to "Cuba" by Various

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